1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mobile terminal which is capable of readily controlling a refrigerator, an operating method thereof, and a refrigerator.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, home network technologies have been developed. A home network signifies a network in which a variety of home appliances are interconnected to enable the user to enjoy a convenient, safe and economical life service at any time inside and outside of a home. With the advance of digital signal processing technologies, refrigerators, washing machines, etc. have been gradually digitized, home appliance operating system technologies and high-speed multimedia communication technologies have been intensively deployed on digital home appliances, and a new type of information home appliance has appeared. Therefore, the home network has been developed still further.
A home network system constructed in a home includes a master device that is an electric appliance capable of controlling the operation of each home appliance or monitoring the state thereof, and one or more home appliances each having a function of responding to a request from the master device and a function of notifying information about a variation in the state thereof
However, the construction of the above-mentioned home network system has the inconvenience of having to separately provide a separate master device which is capable of controlling the operation of each home appliance or monitoring the state thereof.
Moreover, in the case where a home appliance is a refrigerator, in order to know which foods there is a shortage of in the refrigerator at any place or time, there is a need to display state information of the refrigerator including kinds and freshness degrees of foods stored in the refrigerator using a mobile terminal.